Abrams, Nimoy, Cho Talk Sequel

Although J.J. Abrams hasn’t decided yet whether he will direct Star Trek XII, the thought of someone else doing so is unpalatable.

Last night, Paramount held a special event in celebration of the DVD and Blu-ray release of Star Trek XI and Abrams, Leonard Nimoy and John Cho spoke about their expectations for the sequel.

Abrams admitted that he doesn’t like the thought of someone else directing Star Trek XII. “The truth is, the idea of anyone else directing the next Star Trek film breaks my heart,” he said. “I had the most fun ever with these people. But, it’s impossible to know when the script is done. That’s the time to look at it and ask, ‘is this the right thing for the movie? Is it the right thing for me? My family?’ and all that stuff. It’s so hard to know a year out with no script in existence if I should direct the movie.”

John Cho (Sulu) would like to see his character go in a different direction this time. “This experience was very different for me as an actor because it was such an external thing for me,” he said. “I’ve never done a big action sequence and never trained like that. It might be fun to go internal this time. I don’t know what that might be.”

Cho joked around a bit when asked which villain he would like to see in Star Trek XII. He chose Khan, saying “He is the baddest of them all in my opinion and the coolest hair cut. I’m ready to bring that cut back for my own self.”

Leonard Nimoy doesn’t expect to return for the sequel. “They have Zachary Quinto,” he explained. “I was useful to make the bridge between the original and the new and that’s done…I think I served a purpose and I’m happy that I was in it…It’s not a question of whether I’d want to be [in Star Trek XII]. If I get a phone call I’ll answer the phone, but I’m not expecting that call to come.”